The present invention relates to the improvement of compound coatings as defined as coatings made of vegetable fats that are different from cocoa butter, to a coated ice confection and to the production thereof, more particularly to an ice confection coated with a fat-based coating.
Ice cream products made by molding or extrusion technologies in which a core of molded or extruded ice cream is dipped into or enrobed with a melted chocolate coating very often have a defect called bleeding. This defect is exhibited when melted ice cream seeps through the coating and leaks out at the surface thus providing an unappealing appearance. This defect is very common when the coating used contains a large proportion of lauric fats, such as coconut or palm kernel oils. The use of such lauric fats in chocolate coatings is conventional and is described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,210,739.
A common procedure to reduce the incidence of bleeding is to replace some of the lauric fats with soft non-lauric oils such as soybean or sunflower oil, to soften the texture and provide some flexibility to the coating. This reduces coating contraction during crystallization, a phenomenon which is believed to be a main factor in the development of bleeders. This is only a partial solution to the problem of bleeding, however, because it has the limitation that the setting time of the coating becomes very long and the resulting coating has an oilier and undesirable texture.
Another common way to decrease the bleeding of the coating is to dip the ice cream core into liquid nitrogen to achieve an extremely cold and dry surface before contacting the coating. This procedure is very cost intensive, may create safety issues and requires additional equipment. In addition, it provokes extremely rapid crystallization that may result in the formation of cracks in the ice cream coating and non-adherence of the coating to the ice cream core. Cracking and non-adherence of the coating of ice cream bars during consumption is one of the major causes for complaints from consumers because this is not only messy but also it prevents the consumer from eating the entire coating and core of the product.
Methods for improving the adhesion of fat-based coatings to ice confections using a precoating or interface layer between the ice confection and the edible fat-based coating have been proposed. WO 95/21536 discloses an ice confection having a couverture layer on at least part of its surface, the layer including a first, inner, precoating layer. The precoating layer may have a similar or a different composition to the outer couverture layer and contains from about 25% to about 100% fat. But these require an additional processing step that contributes to the production efficiency and overall cost of the products.
In addition to these problems there are technical or organoleptic related constraints. First, the coating must crystallize and become sufficiently hard to be handled for wrapping in an acceptable time. It must be used at temperatures that chocolate equipment can handle, typically between 20-40xc2x0 C. Then, the coating must melt quickly in the mouth to give a good flavor release and resemble a confectionery product consumed at room temperature.
Thus there is a need for improvements in this area, and the present invention now provides improved coatings that resolve many of these problems in a simple and efficient manner.
It has now been found, surprisingly, that the use of a soft type palm mid fraction having a melting point of around 26xc2x0 C. as the predominant fat in a fat-based coating dramatically reduces or prevents bleed in coated ice cream products from manufacturing through distribution.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an ice confection comprising an ice confection core and an edible fat-based outer coating layer, in which the fat of the coating comprises a soft type palm mid fraction that is present in an amount sufficient to reduce or prevent core bleed through the coating from when the ice confection is manufactured through distribution.
The present invention also provides a method for reducing or preventing pinholes in fat-based ice cream coatings or for reducing or preventing bleeding of melted ice cream from the core through the coating of a coated ice cream product. This method comprises applying a fat-based outer coating layer to an ice confection core, in which the fat of the coating comprises a soft type palm mid fraction and is present in an amount sufficient to reduce or prevent pinholes or core bleed through the coating from when the ice confection is manufactured through distribution.